


beneath the foam

by squishyserpent



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, follows dead mans chest ending, nostalgia train hit me and i had to write this, sparrabeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 11:58:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19334089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squishyserpent/pseuds/squishyserpent
Summary: Elizabeth is unable to find solace in what she did to save herself and the crew from the Kraken. With Jack in mind, she wonders if it was the right decision.





	beneath the foam

**Author's Note:**

> i re-watched dead man's chest and i had the urge to write this; i love sparrabeth so much, and i just can't get over elizabeth's expression after the black pearl went down. this is just a short blurb spewing my messy feelings.

Even though he was the one in chains, bound to the mast of his ship, (which had ironically been his liberation at one point) that would bring him to his death, she knew she lost a bit of her freedom that day.

She was the victorious one; she was the one who tricked the infamous Jack Sparrow, she was the one who had evaded the Kraken that fateful day.

She had swindled, lied, fought, and vied for her freedom, something she had earned time and time again over the past tumultuous weeks. What she had done, she justified, was necessary.

The East India Trading Company was subdued, Davy Jones was nowhere to be found, Norrington was safe, and Will was alive.

Even so, Elizabeth Swann found no jubilation or relief.

When trying to draw a sense of pride and satisfaction from what she had accomplished, all she saw was the Black Pearl. Cracking beneath the weight of the Kraken. She still saw it sink beneath the foaming sea, the image permanently ingrained in her mind despite the physical distance between it and herself.

And the smile of Jack Sparrow, gleaming with bittersweet acceptance of his fate and Elizabeth’s actions. Pride had lingered beneath his gold-toothed smile, pride in what Elizabeth had become. A pirate. He had a hand in this transformation, something they both were aware of.

She had bested him, and he knew it. He knew there was nothing to be done, for she had outwitted him, fair and square. Well, as fair as a pirate can be, anyway.

She had lost a bit of freedom that day, the day the Black Pearl sunk at the mercy of the Kraken.

The moment she had kissed his lips, something she had done in order to liberate herself and others, she knew she would never be truly free.

His kohl-stained eyes had closed, his lips had pressed against hers hungrily, with eagerness matching the hot longing that had grown in Elizabeth over time. She fell drunk under his influence, momentarily forgetting why she was kissing him in the first place.

As she fumbled around to chain him to the mast, as she kissed him and imprisoned him, she felt herself slip away. Throughout the kiss, which she had planned solely as a method of evasion, she wanted more. She wanted to stay, to stay glued to him and his mouth, to remain on the Black Pearl and face whatever the Kraken had in store. That was when her freedom was compromised.

She would never be able to justify or find solace in the freedom she had gained, because in that moment she had questioned what she was doing. In the recesses of her mind, she wanted to stay with Jack.

As she made contact with his lips, something she had imagined before and wouldn’t dare to admit now, she swelled with uncertainty and regret.

When she let go, turning to join Will and the others, her final glance at Jack confirmed her regret. He leaned against the mast lazily, a satisfied smile on his face, utterly pleased that she had kissed him, and that she was the one to outwit him.

Elizabeth should have seen this coming. Jack had adamantly believed that his compass was right, and that Elizabeth would eventually become a pirate and fall into his world. Into him. He was right on both counts, to Elizabeth’s annoyance.

The sea, something that had seemed so vast and captivating, now seemed smaller. The blank canvas it once was lost its luster and possibility. The sweet spray of the sea tasted bitter. The gentle rocking of the current became unsettling.

Without the Black Pearl and her captain, the sea was lonely. The sea was lost.

And now, there Elizabeth stood, staring at it with vacant eyes. She was now in a world without Jack, a world where she no longer knew herself. Alone.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave feedback! :)!


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